[Anonymous]

I always have the same trouble when finishing collars. I do fine making the collar and sewing it on. When I blind stitch the upper collar to the neck line of the shirt, I always end up with 3 issues at the collar edges:

1.The upper collar does not want to cover the stitching line – it seems too short. Should I be sewing the collar so that the upper collar is a bit longer than the under collar?

2.The seam allowances have been trimmed after stitching the collar to the shirt. I can hardly get the raw edges hidden under the upper collar because there is so little to work with. Should I not trim the seam all the way to the edge?

3. I’ve never really known how to finish a hand stitched seam. I know what to do for quilting, but how am I supposed to knot off the thread when I finish blind stitching? I usually end up doing something rather ugly that works and never feel sure about what I’m doing.

This really bothers me every time I do a collar and I’d really like to be able to do them well. Help??

[Nicole]

I have not had that problem Sandi. It needs to be quite snug so that it will ”roll” like a band would do. I do a little dampening and easing to get things to fit, would that help?

I will be making the twins Music Class blouse’s in the next month, shall I take some photos?

ps, I have not forgotten about your blouse sleeves that you wanted to remove fullness from, I cannot find my book at present!

[Anonymous]

Yes, please post some pics when you do the Music Class blouses! I don’t know why I can’t get the collars figured out. Don’t worry about the sleeves. I’ve decided to go with a different pattern that has the overall look I wanted. Thank you for remembering – so sweet of you.

[Anonymous]

And, BTW – I haven’t forgotten the jumprope dress that you helped me plan. Just didn’t have enough sewing time to work on it. It has been moved to the spring sewing pile and will have short sleeves! 🙂

[E1izabeth]

Maybe you could trim 1/16 off of the neckline edge of the undercollar piece before sewing the collar pieces together? That way I think once the under collar is stitched to the neck of the shirt, the upper collar piece would be ever so slightly longer allowing it to roll and cover your seam more completely.

Also, why not hide your thread knot the same way you would when quilting, tie it off and then sink it between the layers of the collar. I tend to hide my knots that way whether quilting or garment sewing.